Method of shaping fabric bands



Feb. 5,1929. 1,701,472

, R. P. DINSMORE.

Filed May 23,1925

I v j (I, I I

!N\ IENTOR i lig lZDzmmoz e,

\ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 5, 1929."

- UNITED STATES PATENT oFF c RAY P. DINSMORE, or AKRON, 011:0, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR TIRE RUBBER COMPANY, or AKRON, OHIO,-AHCORPORATION OF OHIO.

METHOD or sHArme FABRIC BANDS.

Application filed May 23, 1925. Serial No.32,402.

My invention relates to pneumatic tire manufacture and it is particularly related to the shaping of fabric'bands which are to be assembled to form tire carcasses.

The object of my invention is to provide a method and device for shaping a ply prior to its incorporation to form a tire carcass.

In order to reinforce pneumatic tiresit has been customary to incorporate a fabric structure or carcass which is made integrally with the vulcanized product. According; to the present methods, a tire band is stretched about a suitable mandrel and shaped thereon] by varied stitching processes. It is obvious that this necessitates stretching the band 1n order to surround the greater circumference of the core or mandrel. On the other hand,

considerable excess fabric mustbe cared for near the bead portions. The former difficulty often involves a distortion or spreading of the. cords, whereas the latter causes a wrinkled bead portion which results in local weaknesses and strained portions.

Several attempts have been made to obvi- I ate these (lliiiCllltlQS. Each involves practi-' cally the same principle, namely, passing the band about a small pulley while under tension. The pulley employed usually engages only the central portion of the strip. WVlnle this device does stretch the central portion,

it possesses several marked defects. One of these lies in the fact that it provides practicallyno control whereby the amount of stretch may be varied at will. In addition, the end portions are never stretched, accord ingiy a section of the carcass will lack the benefits to which it is entitled.

r-tccording to my invention, I have'provided means whereby a band may be expanded under positive control. -Moreover, the dis tortion produced there'b coincldes with the l p 1 a periphery or a transverse section of too core upon which it Wlll beapplied.

In the accom'aan m drawin 'sz l a a Fig. 1 is a plan view of an expansiblecore e'nuiloyed in practicing my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a shaped band in the process of being removed from the core; and 1 Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the core taken on line 3 3 ofFigz'Q.

The expansible core embodies'an elastic 1 tube 1 around whichis wound a cord 2, in a manner illustrated. The core may include a rubber casing of a type not unlike that comv illustrated inF 2.

monly employed in the manufacture of inner tubes or pneumatic tires.

vInpracticing my invention, a band 3 is centrally adj r "ted upon the core. The band 8 may c'ompri a one or more plies of prepared rubberized ti'abric, such as con'm'ionly employed in the manufacture of tire casings. A pressure fluid, such for example a air, is admitted into the tube, through a conven-.

. tional valve i, thereby causing it to expand, it is to be noted that the expansion will take place in but one direction, inasmuch as the cords which. have been wound about the transverse circumference are substantially inelastic. In other words, the area of the transverse section, as illustrated in Fig. 3,

will be substantially constant at alltimes and any lncrease in volume of the tube mustbe effected. by an increase of the circumference of the core. inc degree of expansionniay be j varied in accordance with the requirements.

After the stretching. operation has'been completed, the core is collapsed by allowing the fluid contained therein to escape. The fabric band may either be removed as an annulus from the deflated core or it may be torn and stripped from the inflatedcore in amanner Since the cords in one ply of the band run at an angle of approxianately 90' with respect to those in the other ply, and since the fabric tears along the cords, the ends of the fabric have a V or fish-tail shape which may be readily spliced after the band is removed from the tube. A band so shaped may be applied to a the building core in the usual manner.

It is advisable, of. course, to suppress any adhesive tendencies of the expansible core by any well-known means in order that the shaped band will not be distorted in removing it therefrom.

It will be obvious to anyone skilled in the art that my invention provides an, ideal expanding means, inasmuch as the core upon which it is shaped may coincide exactly with the tire mandrel. Moreover, the expansion is uniform coincident With the distortion required to effect the best results. The operation is extremely simple and may be practised without mechanical 'diiiiculties.

Although I have described but a single expanding device, it is obvious thatthe invention set forth may be subjected to many Wide variations Without departing from the prin-- ciples thereof and I desire, therefore, that it shall be limited only in accordance with the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A method of shaping cord fabric bands Which comprises placing a band upon a circumferentially expansible circular form, expanding the latter to shape the banth then tearing the fabric of the band. diagonally and stripping it from the form.

2. A method of shaping fabric bands 10 Which comprises placing a cord fabric band upon a circumferentially expansible tube, expanding the latter to shape the band, then tearing the fabric sheets of the band diagonally, and stripping the band from the tube.

In Witness whereof Iha-Ve hereunto si ned a V a:

my name. 

